No true road games during NC schedule

[SelectionSunday]

Ticket office has indicated Gophers will have a whopping 21 home games this season, presumably 9 Big Ten, 10 nonconference & 2 exhibitions. That means the Gophers' only trek away from Williams Arena prior to the B1G season will be the Old Spice Classic.

Price for a single season ticket is $660 ($31.43 per game average), $527 ($25.14 PGA) for University employees.

I'll go on record & say I was given the wrong number of home games. I think it'll be 20 (including the exhibitions).

My understanding is schools are allowed to schedule (A) 27 regular-season games + an exempt tournament (Old Spice Classic), or (B) 29 games total. This year it's the former for the Gophers. Hence, the Gopher schedule should look like this:

9 Big Ten home games
9 Big Ten road games
9 nonconference home games = 27 +
the exempt tournament

Unless there's a "preliminary Old Spice game" at Williams Arena counting as exempt -- similar to the Maui Invitational adding Mainland games for each of the 7 (- Chaminade) primary participants -- 19 regular-season home games means we would have overscheduled.

 

[Holy Man]

Ticket office has indicated Gophers will have a whopping 21 home games this season, presumably 9 Big Ten, 10 nonconference & 2 exhibitions. That means the Gophers' only trek away from Williams Arena prior to the B1G season will be the Old Spice Classic.

Price for a single season ticket is $660 ($31.43 per game average), $528 ($25.14 PGA) for University employees.

I'll go on record & say I was given the wrong number of home games. I think it'll be 20 (including the exhibitions).

My understanding is schools are allowed to schedule (A) 27 regular-season games + an exempt tournament (Old Spice Classic), or (B) 29 games total. This year it's the former for the Gophers. Hence, the Gopher schedule should look like this:

9 Big Ten home games
9 Big Ten road games
9 nonconference home games = 27 +
the exempt tournament

Unless there's a "preliminary Old Spice game" at Williams Arena counting as exempt -- similar to the Maui Invitational adding Mainland games for each of the 8 primary participants -- 19 regular-season home games means we would have overscheduled.

Department must really need the cash from those extra two games. Doesn't bode well for having the schedule respected by the committee when the time comes. Are we Syracuse or what?

 

[tjgopher]

Unless there's a "preliminary Old Spice game" at Williams Arena counting as exempt -- similar to the Maui Invitational adding Mainland games for each of the 8 primary participants.

I think that's what you're going to see. I'll bet you see Fairfield or Indiana State visit the Barn as an "exempt" game prior to, but "technically part of" the Old Spice. And, in relative terms, either of those would be a decent home non-conference game (not great, but decent).

 

[howeda7]

I think that's what you're going to see. I'll bet you see Fairfield or Indiana State visit the Barn as an "exempt" game prior to, but "technically part of" the Old Spice. And, in relative terms, either of those would be a decent home non-conference game (not great, but decent).

I don't think the Old Spice has ever done that before. I'd be a bit surprised if that were the case. Maybe 21 home games is meant to replace the revenue from ditching the premium seating plan?

 

[matt]

I think it's just the luck of the draw why we have so many home games this year. We have the ACC/Big 10 Challenge at home this year and our series with USC is at home this year.

 

[From the Barn]

I don't think the Old Spice has ever done that before. I'd be a bit surprised if that were the case. Maybe 21 home games is meant to replace the revenue from ditching the premium seating plan?

There never was going to be a premium seating plan this coming season.

 

[SelectionSunday]

No true road game (or playing every game in-state). ... Boeheim definitely is the first name that comes to mind.

 

[tjgopher]

I don't think the Old Spice has ever done that before. I'd be a bit surprised if that were the case.

The game would not be part of the tourney. It really would have nothing to do with the Old Spice. The loophole says you can play a fourth exempt game (independently scheduled) that could be "technically" affiliated with the tourney, although it will have no impact on the tourney. So, a team would have to find a team from the tourney they are playing in that would be willing to play prior to the tourney. To me, the only candidates from the Old Spice potentially willing to do this would be Indiana State or Fairfield.

That's why if what SS says is true (21 home games), I think the only way to do it is to include a team from the Old Spice as an exempt game at home. Otherwise, I don't think the math works for 21 home games. Not enough dates to get 21 home games without an extra exempt one.

At the end of the day, I'm sure I'm overanalyzing and SS is probably right in thinking the ticket office could have given him the wrong number of home games.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Similar to Maui on Mainland?

I don't think the extra "exempt game" affiliated with the Old Spice would be one of the other seven teams going to Orlando. Am assuming it would be like what the Maui started this year.

4 additional teams not going to Maui (Middle Tennessee State, Towson and 2 teams TBD) all will play 2 games @ the home sites of a couple of the 7 teams going to Maui. They'll also play 2 games amongst each other (presumably 1 at home and 1 on the road) on the Mainland, assuring them 4 exempt games. I think they're calling it "Maui on Mainland." Perhaps the Old Spice is going that route, as well.

I suppose the other possibility is an exempt "neutral" game at the Target Center as part of the season-ticket package, something along the lines of the Jimmy V Classic?

 

[tjgopher]

I don't think the extra "exempt game" affiliated with the Old Spice would be one of the other seven teams going to Orlando. Am assuming it would be like what the Maui started this year.

Maui has gone to "12-team field," although only 8 teams take part in the actual tourney. Teams get the 4th exempt game simply because the other four are "technically" part of the tourney, but have no impact on the tourney, nor will they travel to the tourney.

Old Spice is an 8-team event, therefore if the Gophers try to get that 4th exempt game, I believe it would have to come from the current, 8-team Old Spice field. In this case, I think the Gophers would have to act independently in scheduling the game. Again, a Fairfield or Indiana State would likely be the only viable candidates willing to do that from the Old Spice field.

Again, I'm likely over-thinking, but if they go 21 true home games, I see no other way they could do it.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Maui has gone to "12-team field," although only 8 teams take part in the actual tourney. Teams get the 4th exempt game simply because the other four are "technically" part of the tourney, but have no impact on the tourney, nor will they travel to the tourney.

That's what I'm speculating about the Old Spice, that perhaps -- unbeknownst to us -- it has exapanded to a 12-team field. We'd play an exempt game vs. one of the four teams not going to Orlando. It wouldn't make sense to schedule a Fairfield or Indiana State or anyone else in the 8-team bracket because you might end up playing them again in Orlando, even if placed on opposite sides of the bracket.

 

[howeda7]

There never was going to be a premium seating plan this coming season.

I realize that. Just speculating that they might be facing the realization that the premium plan's not going to fly and they're trying to get extra revenue whereever possible to make up for it.

 

[tjgopher]

It wouldn't make sense to schedule a Fairfield or Indiana State or anyone else in the 8-team bracket because you might end up playing them again in Orlando, even if placed on opposite sides of the bracket.

That's the risk you take in return for an extra "free" game with the extra revenue that comes with hosting the additional game.

 

[Gopherocious]

No true road game (or playing every game in-state). ... Boeheim definitely is the first name that comes to mind.

Florida football comes to mind for me as well...either Miami or Florida State on the road I believe and even all those other NC home games are usually Florida Atlantic, Florida International, or something along those lines.